What was supposed to be a happy homecoming trip turned into a nightmare as Williams landed on Chicago guard Derrick Rose's foot on a three-point attempt with 5:39 left in the first quarter and suffered a sprained left ankle.
Williams rebuffed reporters in the locker room and as he headed to the team bus on crutches after the game. The Jazz said X-rays were negative, but declined to offer an assessment of the severity of Williams' injury.
At a minimum, Williams' availability for the Jazz's regular-season opener in 11 days is in question. Williams has been a remarkably durable player throughout his career, missing only four games in three seasons, but this injury could be different.
"I can't do anything about those things. I just feel bad for him," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "There's not a thing we can do about it. That's life in basketball. You can sit around and feel sorry for yourself, but that bottom line is somebody else has got to step up and play."
There are three grades of sprained ankles, ranging from mild to moderate to severe, determined by degrees of ligament tearing. The typical timetable to return from a severe sprain is four to six weeks.
The Jazz have several options to consider if Williams is out for a significant period. Ronnie Price took over as Williams' backup last season and was part of the Jazz's fourth-quarter lineup in Saturday's 88-80 victory over the Bulls.
"We've got a good all-around team," Price said, "so everybody has to step it up a little bit, and me personally, all I can do is be me and play as hard as possible. I'm not Deron, I'm not an NBA All-Star, but I'll do my best."
But Price is a converted point guard, as opposed to a traditional one. The Jazz also could turn to Brevin Knight, an 11-year veteran whom they acquired in an off-season trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.
After acquiring Knight, who has started 423 games in his career, the Jazz said they believed he could run the team if Williams ever was injured. But Knight has been bothered by an injured left thumb and did not play again Saturday.
Knight said he hoped to play in Thursday's last exhibition game to get back in game rhythm. Sloan said he also could have Andrei Kirilenko or C.J. Miles handle the ball.
"We'll do it by committee," Knight said. "Ronnie definitely knows this system, he knows how to play here. He's proven it time and time again, and I'm going to get out there and do what I'm capable of doing."
"The good thing about this team is there's a system," Knight added, "and you kind of fit pieces into the system. As long as you do it, then it runs pretty smooth."
There's no telling, though, how great the loss of Williams would be. He is the Jazz's unquestioned leader, coming off a summer in which he played on the gold-medal winning Olympic team and signed a $50 million contract extension.
Williams went up for the shot on the right side and crumpled to the floor immediately after rolling his ankle. He was carried off the court by Miles and Ronnie Brewer and then wheeled to the locker room.
Williams left on crutches and wearing a walking boot. He reassured Bulls assistants Bernie Bickerstaff and Del Harris as well as guard Kirk Hinrich on the way to the bus that he'd be OK. The Jazz were relieved Williams did not suffer a high ankle sprain.
Sloan brought back Price, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur to close out the victory along with Kirilenko and Kyle Korver. Boozer finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds despite going 3-for-14 from the field and committing eight turnovers.
rsiler@sltrib.com
IN SHORT: Deron Williams sprains his left ankle in the first quarter and leaves the arena on crutches with no timetable for his return.
